New York City’s tallest skyscrapers go green

A serious green initiative is transforming New York City’s tallest skyscrapers into stepping n to an eco-friendly mode. Two of the city’s tallest buildings – the Empire State Building and the Bank of America Tower – are reportedly going the green way in a major manner.

While the Empire State Building, which is New York’s tallest building, had kicked off a green retrofit last year to reduce its energy use 38 per cent in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative and the Rocky Mountain Institute, second-tallest building the Bank of America Tower, has became its first commercial skyscraper to be accorded platinum rating by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council. A Reuters report said that the 54-storey Bank of America Tower now boasts of its own 4.6-megawatt co-generation plant. The high rise has been made using steel made of 87 per cent recycled material. The concrete used in construction is also from 45 per cent recycled material.

Meanwhile, the Empire State Building is likely to qualify for the gold certification from US Green Building Council soon.